RWE Red Lights 1.6 GW wind farm in the North Sea in Germany

The German energy company RWE has decided to implement a large, two-phase offshore wind farm project, which is part of its long-term plans for renewable energy. The company emphasizes that the project provides synergies with its existing operations and can be used to provide renewable energy to industrial customers.

“Our portfolio already includes six offshore wind farms off the coast of Germany. Nordseecluster will add two more,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind. “This is a good signal for the energy transformation in Germany and for RWE. The wind farms with a total capacity of 1.6 gigawatts will produce approximately 6.5 terawatt hours of green energy per year. This will in particular contribute to the decarbonization of industry in our domestic market.”

The Nordseecluster will be located approximately 50 miles north of the island of Juist in the North Sea. The company emphasizes that under the terms of the contract it does not have to pay any leasing fees to the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). The project will be implemented in two stages with a total capacity of 1.6 GW.

Production of some key components for Nordseecluster A, which will have a total capacity of 660 MW, has already started. Offshore construction is scheduled to begin next year. By early 2027, all 44 wind turbines will be connected to the grid. Nordseecluster B will add another 900 MW of power. The start of commercial operation of 60 turbines is scheduled for early 2029.

The project will involve some of the largest suppliers and contractors in the industry. Chantiers de l’Atlantique will provide two offshore transformer substations, while Vestas will provide wind turbines (type V236-15.0 MW), each with a capacity of 15 MW. Van Oord will install foundations for the wind turbines. Havfram Wind, using its installation ships Nordic wind AND Nordic Energy will install wind turbines.


RWE has launched 19 offshore wind farms over the last 20 years, including six off the coast of Germany. It plans to invest another $60 billion in renewable energy projects by 2030, including wind power, batteries and hydrogen. RWE has set itself the goal of tripling its global offshore wind capacity from the current 3.3 GW to 10 GW by 20230.